Suicide Squad: Jared Leto Spent Time With Real Psychopaths

Jared Leto did a lot of research with literal mental cases to prep for Joker for Suicide Squad

We’ve all heard many, many stories about how Jared Leto went all in for the role of The Joker in Suicide Squad, He sent weird videos an gifts, he was in character the entire time, he might’ve spent nights alone in an abandoned prison, etc. But Leto may have gone above and beyond for Suicide Squad than most actors preparing for any role no matter how committed. Because Jared Leto actually spent time with real psychopaths in mental institutions to try and get inside their heads, which he talked about with EW:

"It’s probably better to not get into it but to the Joker, violence is a symphony. This is someone who gets an extreme reward from the act of violence and manipulation. Those are the songs he sings and he is very in tune with what makes people tick. I did meet with people that were experts, doctors, psychiatrists that dealt with psychopaths and people who had committed horrendous crimes, and then I spent some time with those people themselves, people who have been institutionalized for great periods of time. I guess when you take on a role, any role, you become part detective, part writer, and for me that’s my favorite time of the entire process, the discovering, the uncovering, and the building of a character. Yeah, it’s really fun."

Next: There's 'Just Enough Batman' In Suicide Squad

Leto also said that because the Joker is such well-worn territory, it was important to take him a new direction for Suicide Squad. You can read the rest of the interview to see what Jared Leto thought about approaching the role, why he did the bizarre things he did on set and how the look of the Joker was conceived for Suicide Squad, which opens in theaters August 5th.